A debate on how to deal with the legacy of former communist East Germany has been sparked after people attending an event organized by the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) in Dessau sang the Communist East German national anthem.
Following a panel discussion in Dessau-Roßlau on Tuesday evening ahead of a key state election in Saxony-Anhalt, AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla called for the audience to sing the German national anthem.
Comedian Uwe Steimle, who had been invited as a guest, then struck up the anthem of former East Germany “Auferstanden aus Ruinen” (Risen from the Ruins).
Chrupalla tried to intervene, saying: “The other one.” But Steimle carried on singing, and many of the attendees joined in.
Both anthems sung
Chrupalla and Saxony-Anhalt’s AfD lead candidate, Ulrich Siegmund, smiled at first and eventually sang along to at least parts of the former East German anthem as well. Afterwards, the German national anthem was also sung.
When asked, Siegmund, initially declined to comment. Chrupalla told the right-wing newspaper Junge Freiheit that he did not understand why people were reacting so “tensely.”
“Everything is being blown up into a scandal,” Chrupalla charged. “Nobody can laugh any more and everything has to be deadly serious. Anyone who organizes an event with Uwe Steimle knows what to expect. With him, things are so refreshingly different.”
Chrupalla added: “The lyrics of the former East German anthem, which we weren’t allowed to sing, are magnificent and still apply today.”